2R14 07:43 Sevenoaks-Ashford International - purposes?

[brad465]

Recently I discovered the existence of the subject Saturday diagram, which AFAIK is the only passenger service these days to visit Ashford that is 465/Networker operated. I took the service this morning for fun (formed of 465919+934), but also am not entirely sure about some of the reasons for it operating and it being formed out of Networker units; could there be a traction knowledge purpose to using them this way in case a more regular return to Ashford follows?

I suspect it starting from Sevenoaks is due to the early time of day, with the stock running empty from Orpington, then once reaching Ashford the stock forms an ECS move back to Tonbridge, forming a Charing X service that is timed among the Tunbridge Wells' workings, but starting at Tonbridge instead. I also imagine covid timetabling influences all the movements.

From my experience of using it the service seems popular with passengers who appear to be attending to some kind of Saturday school in Headcorn, many of them boarding at Sevenoaks and Tonbridge to get there. There is a regular half-hourly CHX-AFK service, with hourly extensions, but no such service exists at 08:43 from Sevenoaks or anywhere closer to London.

Is anyone able to clarify any of this please?

 

[30907]

Looking at a pre-Covid timetable (I have May 2020 which never ran as such) there was an 0710 from CHX in the same path. As the Covid Ssturday timetable is slimmed down until about 0900, if there is a specific commuter flow it makes good sense to cater for it.

Headcorn is the railhead for Sutton Valence (independent) School, so I wonder if that was the destination of the (young?) passengers. I am probably not the only Forum member who has experienced Saturday morning school

 

[Stephen42]

The stock comes from Tonbridge Jubilee Sidings, goes empty to Orpington and back empty to Sevenoaks before forming 2R14. After two trips to Charing Cross it ends up back at Tonbridge Jubilee Sidings. From those sidings the only suitable stock would be Networkers which might explain the unusual formation. In the pre-pandemic timetable the stock looks to have come from Dover Priory at 4:40am formed 2W10 to Charing Cross and then 2R14 back.

Can't help in terms of purpose, maybe if it's popular the school/parents asked if it could be reinstated and SE found the closest available train to run it?

 

[brad465]

This service now appears to be a 375 formation going forward, with the 465 stock that originally formed this service going to Tunbridge Wells instead to start the 09:21 to CHX from there, rather than starting it from Tonbridge after running back empty from Ashford. Of course the departure of half of SE's 377s and the expected resumption of Networkers on the Maidstone East line means they are unlikely to be done with visiting Ashford anytime soon (they are also occasionally doing empty stock runs down the SEML to Ashford Int which presumably is route/traction familiarisation for the stock).

 

[Controller1701]

I believe this is the Sutton Valance special.